In defense of arguing about definitions

Freddie deBoer thinks we should stop it. I think his approach can only obscure and complicate the debate even more.

Freddie deBoer says that we should “stop debating definition.” This is a complaint I have seen floating around in the discourse a lot lately, but I do not think it is a very good one. When people say “stop debating definition” they always mean “stop debating definitions that are unimportant.” But the reason they don’t put it that way is that they want t…